Merrilactone A (1) was isolated in only 0.004% yield from the methanol extracts of the pericarps of Illicium merrillianum. Structural elucidation of Merrilactone A revealed a compact, cage-like pentacyclic architecture of high molecular complexity, featuring seven stereocentres, five of which as contiguous fully substituted carbon atoms, two γ-lactones and a central oxetane ring. Merrilactone A also exhibits an important neurotrophic activity, significantly promoting neurite outgrowth in the primary cultures of foetal rat cortical neurons at very low concentrations. Structurally, merrilactone A is related to anislactones A and B, a pair of epimeric sesquiterpene dilactones discovered ten years earlier by Kouno and co-workers from the related Illicium anisatum plant. Fukuyama has shown that anislactone B can be converted into merrilactone A using a simple three step sequence, suggesting that the anislactones may be biogenetic precursors to merrilactone A. Described in this thesis are our research efforts directed towards developing a conceptually novel synthetic route enabling regiodivergent total synthesis of both anislactone A / B and merrilactone A. Our synthetic route (around 22 steps) features several key reactions, which include a [2+2] photo-cycloaddition reaction, Tiffeneau-Demjanov ring expansion and titanium(III) mediated radical cyclization.

This thesis describes the development of synthetic strategies towards the densely functionalised pyrrolidinone core of the polyene &beta;-lactone-&gamma;-lactam antibiotic oxazolomycin A. <strong>Chapter 1 The oxazolomycins</strong> The oxazolomycins, a unique class of biologically active molecules containing a spiro-fused β-lactone-γ-lactam ring system are introduced. The isolation, structural elucidation and biological properties of the oxazolomycins as well as those of the structurally related inthomycins are reviewed. <strong>Chapter 2 Previous syntheses</strong> The two total syntheses of neooxazolomycin and the synthetic approaches to the pyrrolidinone core of oxazolomycin A and KSM-2690 B are evaluated. <strong>Chapter 3 Project aims</strong> An outline of the synthetic strategy employed in this project and details of the novel retrosynthesis of the pyrrolidinone core of oxazolomycin A are discussed. <strong>Chapter 4 Synthetic studies towards the pyrrolidinone core of oxazolomycin A</strong> The synthetic studies carried out towards the pyrrolidinone core of oxazolomycin A are described in detail. The preparation of an advanced intermediate containing the five chiral centres, four of which are contiguous, was achieved in twenty steps as a single diastereomer and as a single enantiomer. <strong>Chapter 5 Synthetic studies towards the middle fragment of oxazolomycin A</strong> A novel synthetic approach to the diene fragment contained in oxazolomycin A is reported. The formal synthesis of a dienyl iodide, in four fewer steps than previously reported was accomplished. <strong>Chapter 6 Conclusions and future work</strong> A summary of the synthetic work reported in this thesis and proposals for future study are presented. <strong>Chapter 7 Experimental</strong> Full experimental procedures and characterisation of compounds are reported. <strong>Chapter 8 References</strong> A complete list of citations employed in the previous seven chapters is provided.

Madeirolide A (1) is a structurally novel polyketide natural product first isolated from the deep-sea sponge Leiodermatium sp. by Wright in 2009. Initial biological investigations of madeirolide A revealed potent inhibition of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans but failed to determine any appreciable cytotoxicity when tested against a limited range of cancer cell lines. The unusual bioactivity of madeirolide A coupled with uncertainty over the true stereostructure of the natural product makes it a compelling target for synthesis. This thesis discloses synthetic efforts towards the total synthesis of madeirolide A with an emphasis on the construction of the all-cis C21 - C27 eastern tetrahydropyran. Chapters 1 and 2 provide an introduction to the importance of natural products in drug discovery and outline the context of this project with details of the isolation and biological activity of madeirolide A. Previous synthetic efforts are also reviewed including those from within the group which formed the basis of the present studies. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis of a fully elaborated C1 - C11 fragment, building upon previously published work in the group. Specifically, it details the successful completion of a modified approach designed to avoid some of the major challenges previously encountered such as undesired migration of protecting groups and challenges in selectively installing an (E)-vinyl iodide. Chapter 4 discusses ongoing efforts towards the challenging C12 - C27 fragment of madeirolide A. The stereocontrolled synthesis of several linear C19 - C27 precursors is outlined, followed by details of screening reactions conducted to affect the desired oxy- Michael cyclisation. Additionally, extensive computational studies have been undertaken in an attempt to rationalise the frustrating lack of reactivity observed with the goal of developing a substrate suitably elaborated to cyclise. Finally, the asymmetric synthesis of the C13 - C17 subfragment is outlined, which will provide eventual access to the eastern tetrahydrofuran. Chapter 5 summarises the synthetic work carried out thus far and explores potential strategies for the future completion of the natural product with a focus on alternative disconnections of the eastern tetrahydropyran.

Elatenyne, a brominated C₁₅ acetogenin isolated from the red Laurencia elata marine algae, was originally assigned a pyranopyran structure. Previous total synthesis of the pyranopyran structure has found this assignment to be incorrect. During this work the revised 2,2’-bifuranyl skeleton of elatenyne was suggested, but this skeleton has 32 possible diastereomers. The most likely diastereomer of elatenyne was predicted using computational ¹³C NMR chemical shift calculation in combination with the possible stereochemical outcomes from the proposed biosynthesis. Chapter 1 introduces the structural misassignment of natural products and describes the misassignment of elatenyne as well as a related chloro enyne. The use of computational methods and biosynthetic postulates to aid structure elucidation are also discussed. Chapter 2 describes the first generation synthesis of cross metathesis coupling partners required for the synthesis of elatenyne from D-mannitol. Chapter 3 describes the completed total synthesis of elatenyne, along with three derivatives and the (E)-isomer of elatenyne; itself a natural product. A comparison of the synthetic data with the isolation data for the natural products is presented, as well as comparison with the synthetic material of Kim and co-workers whose concurrent biomimetic total synthesis is also presented. Chapter 4 describes the modular nature of the devised synthetic route to access any diastereomer of elatenyne and its application to related 2,2’-bifuranyl natural products.

No description available.

First chapter of the thesis describes the desymmetrization of the bis-dimethyl amide 1 derived from tartaric acid with vinyl Grignard reagents and subsequent reduction of the resultant -keto amides 2a-c to the -hydroxy amides 3a-c. Application of the -hydroxy amides 3a-c in the total synthesis of bio-active natural products such as gabosines, crassalactone C and anamarine is described in the subsequent sections. In section A of the first chapter, application of the -hydroxy amides 3a-b to the total synthesis of gabosine A 4, gabosine F 5 and gabosine H 6 was described. Key strategy in the synthesis was the use of ring closing metathesis (RCM) reaction. Incidentally, the total synthesis of gabosine H 6 was not only accomplished for the first time but the synthesis also ascertained the absolute stereochemistry of the natural product. During the course of the synthesis of gabosine A 4, an unprecedented formation of a unique 14-membered macrocycle 7 was observed. Incisive studies were conducted to elucidate the reaction sequence for the formation of the macrocyle 7. It was found that the formation of the macrocycle 7 was through a tandem cross-metathesis/intramolecular hetero Diels-Alder reaction. Section B of chapter 1 delineated the utility of the -hydroxy amide 3a in the total synthesis of (–)-crassalactone C 8a. Crassalactone C 8a is a cinnamoyl derivative of styryllactone natural product goniofufurone and was found to possess marginal in vitro cytotoxic activity. Pivotal strategies in the synthesis include the use of bis-cinnamoyl ester 10a in the ring closing metathesis reaction which also evades the selective cinnamoylation of the benzylic hydroxy group. Section C of Chapter 1 deals with the total synthesis of (+)-anamarine 11. While the - hydroxy amide 3a was employed to synthesize an important intermediate 12 enroute to the synthesis of anamarine, to mitigate the number of steps in the synthesis, the -hydroxy amide 13 was employed for the synthesis of (+)-anamarine 11. Key reactions in the total synthesis include the use of 1,3-dithiane as a surrogate for the methyl group, Brown’s allylation and ring closing metathesis. In second chapter of the thesis, formal total synthesis of iriomoteolide 3a 16 is presented. Iriomoteolide 3a 16 is a unique 15-membered marine macrolide isolated by Tusda’s group from the Amphidinium strain HYA024, with impressive in vitro cytotoxic activity against human lymphoma cell line DG-75 (IC50 0.08 g/mL) and Raji cells (IC50 0.05 g/mL). Salient features of the synthesis include the synthesis of the chiral aldehyde 19 from the oxazolidinone 17 and the use of -keto phosphonate 20 derived from D-(–)-tartaric acid in the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination reaction to construct the C1-C10 fragment 23 of iriomoteolide 3a 16. Synthesis of the C10-C18 fragment 29 was accomplished from the butyrolactone 24 using Keck allylation and olefin cross metathesis reactions as key steps. Ring closing metathesis of the ester 30, followed by selective deprotection of the primary TBS group afforded the key intermediate 31, the transformation of which to iriomoteolide 3a 16 is known in literature.

The thesis entitled “Enantiospecific total synthesis of indole alkaloids eburnamonine, aspidospermidine, quebrachamine, henrycinols A and B and synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones” is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, a unified strategy for the enantiospecific total synthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (+)-eburnamonine (1), (–)-aspidospermidine (2) and (–)-quebrachamine (3) is described. The chiral pool synthesis commenced with (S)-ethyl lactate 4, which was elaborated to the allylic alcohol 5. Johnson-Claisen orthoester rearrangement of the allylic alcohol 5 furnished the key chiral building block 6 possessing a quaternary stereogenic center. Pictet-Spengler cyclization of tryptamine with the corresponding aldehydes obtained by appropriate functionalization of the chiral building block 6 and ring closing metathesis were the key reactions employed en route the total synthesis of the indole alkaloids 1–3 (Scheme 1). Scheme 1. Unified strategy for the synthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (+)-eburnamonine (1), (–)-aspidospermidine (2) and (–)-quebrachamine (3). The second chapter of the thesis pertains to the synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7 via Brønsted acid mediated intramolecular cyclization of unsaturated tryptamides 8. Various ,-unsaturated acids 9 derived from different -hydroxy esters 10, were converted to the corresponding unsaturated tryptamides 8 and subjected to the optimized reaction conditions. The results of the study indicated that -substituted unsaturated secondary tryptamides derived from (S)-ethyl lactate were the most effective in undergoing an intramolecular cyclization to furnish the corresponding azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7, possessing a quaternary stereogenic center in good yields. The presence of an alkenyl moiety in the quaternary center allowed the functionalization of these compounds and was subsequently employed to access the ABCD core 11 of tronocarpine and the tetracyclic cores 12 of some iboga alkaloids. The loss of chirality in the formation of the azepino[4,5-b]indolones indicated that the reaction proceeds predominantly by an SN1 pathway. During the course of the study an interesting formation of an azonino[5,4-b]indolone 13 by a competing SN1 pathway and a tetracyclic azepino[4,5-b]indolone 14 via a cascade cyclization were noticed (Scheme 2). Scheme 2. Synthesis of azepino[4,5-b]indolones 7 possessing a quaternary stereogenic center. The first total synthesis of two new indole alkaloids, henrycinols A (15) and B (16) which were isolated from the plant Melodinus henryi CRAIB is described in the third chapter of the thesis. The key reaction in the synthetic sequence is the Pictet-Spengler cyclization of L-tryptophan methyl ester 17a and the aldehyde 18 derived from D-tartaric acid which leads to the installation of all the stereogenic centers present in the natural products. Interestingly, a switch in the diastereoselectivity of the reaction was observed by varying the substituent on the amine in L-tryptophan methyl ester 17. When L-tryptophan methyl ester 17b possessing an N-allyl substitution was employed, the desired 1,3-trans tetrahydro--carboline 19b could be obtained in good yields, which was subsequently elaborated to the natural products 15 and 16 (Scheme 3). Scheme 3. Total synthesis of henrycinols A (15) and B (16).

Leiodolide A is a unique natural product isolated from Pacific marine sponges which has provided an interesting target for total synthesis due to its complex structure and undefined stereochemistry. Although synthetic work towards the synthesis of sister compound leiodolide B has been published, the total synthesis of leiodolide A is yet to be achieved but remains an important target due to high potency against leukaemia, non-small lung and ovarian cancers. The convergent strategy towards the synthesis of leiodolide A involved the synthesis of three subunits; a synthetic route to the C21-C25 vinyl stannane is described, and efforts towards the synthesis of the bidirectional C11-C20 subunit are detailed. Asymmetric vinylogous aldol methodology was developed for the installation of the 1,2-syn propionate motif found in the C1-C10 subunit and in other polypropionate natural products, and was shown to be applicable to a range of substrates in moderate diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity.